The Leadership Archetype: A Jungian Analysis of Similarities between Modern Leadership Theory and the Abraham Myth in the Judaic–Christian Tradition |
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Authors: | Neil Remington Abramson |
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Institution: | (1) Faculty of Business Administration, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada |
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Abstract: | Archetypal psychology suggests the possibility of a leadership archetype representing the unconscious preferences of human
beings as a species about the appropriate relationships between leaders and followers. Mythological analysis compared God’s
leadership in the Abraham myth with modern visionary, ethical and situational leadership to find similarities reflecting continuities
in human thinking about leadership over as long as 3600 years. God’s leadership behavior is very modern except that God is
generally more relationship oriented. The leadership archetype that emerges is of a leader that develops his/her follower
by reliably maintaining a vision, behaving according to firm ethical values even when it weakens the leader’s authority, accepting
suffering when the follower is unreliable, and always forgiving even when the follower behaves with hubris in an attempt to
overthrow the leader. If God’s leadership principles were mandatory in management, many dysfunctional leaders would be disqualified
and many of the negative consequences of poor leadership might be averted.
Neil Remington Abramson is an Associate Professor of Strategy, Specialist in building effective business relationships in
comparative management contexts. |
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Keywords: | archetypal psychology archetype Jung leadership visionary ethical situational forgiveness God Abraham myth narrative analysis mythological analysis |
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